S&PAProfessional / Spring 2020
UPFRONT S&PA NEWS
BOUTIQUES MUST ‘CREATE THE YEARN TO RETURN’ AMONG CUSTOMERS By DeeDee Doke Gym operators must be agile, imaginative and develop cult followings for their brands to create “the yearn to return” amongst their customers, the “unofficial queen of boutique” urged attendees at ukactive’s SWEAT conference. “We have to get good with change – it’s coming fast,” said Emma Barry, author of Building a Badass Boutique. She added that the current pace of innovation, “is the slowest it’s ever going to be… Change is the new normal”.
on-demand gym market, which is experiencing triple digit growth. Alongside the “hyperpersonalisation” of the boutique industry – in which, for instance, some hotel chains are installing personal fitness equipment in rooms – development of other strands such as cognitive health and nutrition is well underway. Operators need to “create the yearn to return” among customers, Barry added. “In 10 years’ time, we won’t even recognise this industry,” she said.
Aimed at boutique gym operators, the one-day SWEAT programme served up talks on the future of fitness, branding, how to fund business expansion and reinventing space. In her introductory keynote, Barry highlighted the rise of the
WAVE MAKER OF THE QUARTER: ADVENTURE PARC SNOWDONIA
" ISTOCK
A £3m renovation and expansion programme has paid dividends at an indoor and outdoor adventure play centre in North Wales, as Graham Simons reports
Pozzoni Architecture has recently helped complete a £3m extension of an activity centre at Adventure Parc Snowdonia in North Wales. According to Pozzoni, the extension of Adventure Parc Snowdonia has made it a year-round destination for visitors of all ages, with some attractions aimed at children aged over 5 and others aimed at older children and adults. While its man-made lagoon at Surf Snowdonia was predominantly a spring/summer attraction, the addition of Adrenaline Indoors is aimed at providing a more inclusive experience for visitors. Adrenaline Indoors’ new facilities include an aerial assault course, extreme slides, an indoor adventure climb, one of the longest man-made cave networks in the world, a soft play area, a high
wire course, an outdoor rock and drop as well as a zip line over the lagoon. As Adrenaline Indoors is now the first building that visitors encounter when approaching Adventure Parc Snowdonia, Pozzoni’s brief was to design an iconic landmark that welcomes people to the destination, the spokesperson explained. And the facilities appear to have been very well received by the public so far, as Adventure Parc Snowdonia recently won the ‘One for the Kids’ (family experience) award at the National Geographic Traveller Reader Awards in December 2019. The project officially opened to the public on 1 August 2019. ■ Is your facility making waves in the industry? Get in touch at sandpa@redactive.co.uk
‘TAKE TIME TO BUILD FACILITIES’ – ARCHITECT By Colin Cottell Those responsible for commissioning sports and leisure facilities should learn the lessons of the Olympics, where stadia has often ended up neglected after the games finish, according to a sports architect. Speaking to S&PA Professional at the book launch of Olympic Stadia: Theatre of Dreams, professor Geraint John, a senior adviser to architects and sport venue design experts Populous, who co-authored the book with Dave Parker, said: “So often people don’t take enough time to write the brief and think about what the building should be doing. That is very difficult to correct later on.” John – who has worked on stadia design for three Olympics – said legacy “and a building’s contribution to the planet” is also important. Lord Coe, president of World Athletics and a key driver of London’s successful 2012 Olympic bid, was also in attendance. “It is very important that when you are designing something in sport it reflects the local communities,” he said. The UK’s non-elite leisure facilities were “pretty good” Coe added, and “even with straitened budgets, I think by and large things are in pretty good shape”.
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Upfront - News_Spring 2020_S&PA Professional 9
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